... could be useful to the managers of the Ardingly Reservoir as excess phosphorus could result in eutrophication, which would be extremely detrimental to the water-life. Eutrophication is one of the most significant causes of water quality problems. Eutrophication occurs in lakes, rivers, ponds and coastal waters. High levels of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in water can cause an algae bloom. These nutrients can come from urban sources like waste water treatment facilities and runoff from fertilized lawns. In the case of the Ardingly Reservoir they are more likely to arise from agricultural practices which can produce large amounts of nutrient runoff from fertilized croplands, animal feed and from septic tank discharges. At first, eutrophication results in an increase in dissolved oxygen as there is more photosynthesis going on from the algae blooms, this stimulates fish production. However, as the algae continue to reproduce, they cloud the water making it ...

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